Asked by: Laurence Robertson (Conservative - Tewkesbury)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps she is taking to ensure that NICE clinical guidelines on Brain tumours (primary) and brain metastases in over 16s reflects the latest data from clinical trials on (a) diagnosis and (b) management of patients.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) is the independent body responsible for developing authoritative, evidence-based guidelines for the National Health Service on best practice based on an assessment of clinical and cost effectiveness. NICE keeps its guidelines under review and uses the best available evidence to develop its recommendations. Its surveillance programme proactively explores whether there is any new evidence to contradict, reinforce or clarify its guideline recommendations.
NICE’s guideline on brain tumours and brain metastases in people aged 16 years old or over was most recently updated in 2021 and makes recommendations on the management of grade IV gliomas. The NHS is expected to take NICE guidelines fully into account in ensuring that services meet the needs of their local populations.
In May 2018, the Government announced £40 million for brain tumour research as part of the Tessa Jowell Brain Cancer Mission, through the National Institute for Health and Care Research. This includes funding for glioblastoma research.
Asked by: Baroness Randerson (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Brain Tumours report Brain Tumours: Pathway to a Cure — breaking down the barriers, published on 28 February, whether they have accepted recommendation six contained in that report that specific funding should be ring-fenced for research into childhood brain tumours; and if so, what is the timescale for implementation.
Answered by Lord Markham - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
It is not usual practice to ring-fence research funds for particular topics or conditions. As with other Government funders of health research, the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) does not allocate funding for specific disease areas. Applications are subject to peer review and judged in open competition, with awards being made on the basis of the importance of the topic to patients and health and care services, value for money and scientific quality.
The Department welcomes the APPG report, recommendations of which continue to be worked through with the Department of Science, Innovation and Technology, and UK Research and Innovation and the Medical Research Council (MRC), and with the NIHR.
Asked by: Paul Blomfield (Labour - Sheffield Central)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has made a recent assessment of the potential merits of (a) accepting the recommendations of the report by the APPG on Brain Tumours entitled Pathway to A Cure, published on 28 February 2023, and (b) providing additional funding for multidisciplinary research into brain tumours.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department of Health and Social Care welcomes the All-Party Parliamentary Group report, recommendations of which continue to be worked through with the Department of Science, Innovation and Technology, and UK Research and Innovation and the Medical Research Council (MRC), and with the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR).
The Tessa Jowell Brain Cancer Mission (TJBCM) recently announced two appointments to the inaugural Tessa Jowell Fellowship programme. These 12-month fellowships will support high quality training in neuro-oncology clinical practice and research, to ensure clinicians are equipped with the relevant research skills needed to lead neuro-oncology trials that change practice. Additionally, the TJBCM have designated 28 adult Tessa Jowell Centres of Excellence within the National Health Service, which has created a world-class network of brain tumour treatment and research centres to provide the best care and share best practice. These actions will help grow capacity for brain cancer research, attracting new researchers from multiple relevant disciplines and developing the community.
In May 2018, the Government announced £40 million for brain tumour research as part of the TJBCM through the NIHR. The £40 million funding will remain available; if we can spend more on the best quality science, we will do.
Asked by: Jane Hunt (Conservative - Loughborough)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of implementing the recommendations of the APPG on Brain Tumours report entitled Pathway to A Cure – breaking down the barriers, published on 28 February 2023; whether his Department is taking steps to support brain tumour research applications to the National Institute for Health and Care Research; and whether his Department has plans to ring-fence funding for (a) discovery, (b) translational and (c) clinical research into brain tumours.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department welcomes the All-Party Parliamentary Group report. We are taking steps to ensure that funders work closely together to coordinate work along the translational pathway, from the discovery and early translational science typically supported by the MRC, feeding through to the applied health and care research funded by the NIHR.
It is not usual practice to ring-fence funds for particular topics or conditions. As with other Government funders of health research, the NIHR does not allocate funding for specific disease areas. The level of research spend in a particular area is driven by factors including scientific potential and the number and scale of successful funding applications.
NIHR is taking action to help researchers develop high-quality proposals, including working with the Tessa Jowell Brain Cancer Mission on workshops and courses for applications in development. Similarly, the NIHR Research Support Service will support researchers applying for funding with expert advice, to help them develop the best funding applications.
Mentions:
1: Whitfield, Martin (Lab - South Scotland) Beatrice is the proposed convener of the proposed group on brain tumours, and she joins us online this - Speech Link
2: Wishart, Beatrice (LD - Shetland Islands) tumours, as my daughter lives with a brain tumour. - Speech Link
3: None about the situation with regard to brain tumours. - Speech Link
4: Whitfield, Martin (Lab - South Scotland) Is the committee happy to accord recognition to the proposed cross-party group on brain tumours? - Speech Link
Asked by: Laurence Robertson (Conservative - Tewkesbury)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps she is taking to help ensure that brain tumour patients have access to whole genome sequencing; and what estimate she has made of the proportion of patients who are diagnosed each year having the whole genome of their tumours sequenced.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Genomic testing for patients with a suspected brain tumour, including glioblastoma, is included in the National Genomic Test Directory. This testing can be delivered using a range of technologies, including whole genome sequencing (WGS) or Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) technology (large cancer gene panels) to ensure that a patient receives the most appropriate genomic testing depending on their individual circumstances. Anyone who meets the eligibility criteria outlined in the National Genomic Test Directory will be able to access this genomic testing offer.
Patients with a suspected brain tumour, including glioblastoma, receive standard of care testing via an NGS cancer panel for this clinical indication. In total, between April 2021 and September 2023, over 179,500 NGS panel tests have been performed, for all cancer clinical indications.
Since the WGS service was launched for paediatric patients in November 2020 and adult patients in April 2022, in addition to standard of care testing, as of 1 December 2023, 533 patients have received WGS because of a suspected brain tumour.
Asked by: Nadia Whittome (Labour - Nottingham East)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her Department is taking to support recruitment and approval processes for clinical trials for brain tumours.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government has set out a vision for the Future of UK Clinical Research Delivery which aims to increase participation in research and improve the speed and efficiency of approvals processes. This, together with the Government response to the O’Shaughnessy review backed by up to £121 million of funding, will help to drive improvements in recruitment to clinical trials and approval processes which lead to quicker study set up. More information on the vision is available at the following link:
The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency has now cleared the backlog of clinical trials waiting for regulatory approvals and regulatory assessments, and all newly received, fully complaint clinical trials applications will be approved within statutory timelines of 60 days. In the Government response to the O’Shaughnessy review, we announced new United Kingdom performance indicators with immediate effect, including measures relating to recruitment levels and approvals timelines for clinical trials. These measures will benefit all clinical trials, including brain tumour trials.
The Department-funded National Institute of Health and Care Research (NIHR) funds research and research infrastructure which supports patients and the public to participate in high-quality research. In 2022/23, NIHR supported 61 brain tumour studies and supported recruitment of 4,317 participants to these studies in England. In addition, the NIHR online service called 'Be Part of Research' allows users to search for studies and register their interest that is relevant to them, increasing access to research opportunities.
Asked by: Lord Hunt of Kings Heath (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government, with reference to the APPG on Brain Tumours report Pathway to a Cure, published in February, what consideration they have given to developing or extending National Institute for Health and Care Research fellowships specifically to support brain tumour researchers.
Answered by Lord Markham - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department is taking actions to help develop or extend fellowships to support brain tumour researchers. For example, in July 2023, the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) jointly funded with the Tessa Jowell Brain Cancer Mission (TJBCM), the first two TJBCM Neuro-Oncology Fellowships, a new Fellowship Programme to support high quality training in neuro-oncology clinical practice and research to ensure clinicians are equipped with the relevant research skills needed to lead neuro-oncology trials that change practice.
Other capacity-building initiatives underway include, the designation of 28 TJBCM adult Centres of Excellence within the National Health Service, creating a world-class network of brain tumour treatment and research centres to provide the best care and share best practice; the Tessa Jowell Academy Programme, a free national learning and networking digital platform for National Health Service brain tumour professionals to share excellence in research, treatment and care, and the TJBCM Brain Tumour Research Novel Therapeutics Accelerator programme, to review and provide guidance on the translation and development of novel treatments, guided by a multidisciplinary international group of experts.
Asked by: Lord Hunt of Kings Heath (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government, with reference to the All Party Parliamentary Group on Brain Tumours Inquiry Report Pathway to A Cure, published in February 2023, what steps the Department for Health and Social Care is taking to support early-stage researchers to develop their skills in the field of brain tumour research.
Answered by Lord Markham - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department is working closely with the Tessa Jowell Brain Cancer Mission (TJBCM) in hosting customised workshops for researchers, and training for clinicians. These actions will grow capacity for brain cancer research, attracting new researchers, developing the community, and supporting researchers to submit high-quality research funding proposals.
The TJBCM recently announced two appointments to the inaugural Tessa Jowell Fellowship programme. These 12-month fellowships will support high quality training in neuro-oncology clinical practice and research, to ensure clinicians are equipped with the relevant research skills needed to lead neuro-oncology trials that change practice.
Additionally, the TJBCM have designated 28 adult Tessa Jowell Centres of Excellence within the National Health Service, which has created a world-class network of brain tumour treatment and research centres to provide the best care and share best practice.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Conservative - Romford)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the APPG on Brain Tumours' Inquiry Report entitled Pathway to a Cure, whether she is taking steps to ensure that the relevant tissue collection infrastructure is in place to conduct high quality brain tumour research.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department of Health and Social Care welcomes the APPG report, recommendations of which continue to be worked through with the Department of Science, Innovation and Technology, and UK Research and Innovation and the Medical Research Council (MRC), and with the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR).
The Tessa Jowell Brain Cancer Mission reports that over 70% of UK neuro-oncology centres now have biobanking infrastructure in place to collect samples and tissue for research, and that these centres are collaborating to improve tissue collection opportunities via the Tessa Jowell Academy.